The Mausefalle jump on the famous Streif downhill course got its name when the father of skiing superstar Toni Sailer remarked that it looked like an old wire mousetrap.

Skiing in Kitzbuehel

Kitzbuehel is a scenic medieval ski town set in the Austrian Alps that offers some particularly great skiing for those with intermediate or expert-level experience.

With 170 km of slopes served by 53 lifts, plus 32 km of cross-country trails, there’s lots of choice for skiers. However, it’s worth bearing in mind that some of the low-altitude slopes have historically been variable in snow quality in the past when planning your ski activities for each day of your holiday.

Highlights of the Kitzbuehel ski area include the Streif, arguably the most famous downhill ski raced track in the world and a must-try for expert skiers (although there’s an easier version of the run with the various twists and jumps removed for less experienced skiers to try!).

There are plenty of long blue runs to get stuck into, particularly on the way to Klausen, Skirast and Kirchberg, while the most experienced skiers will want to take a look at the especially steep slopes in Steinbergkogel–Ehrenbachgraben.

Take the Hahnenkamm gondola and you’ll end up in Ehrenbachgraben, a bowl-shaped area where you can try your skills on Steinbergkogel’s steep pistes. Continue and you’ll come to Pengelstein, where long runs travel downhill to Skirast, with a gondola taking skiers to Aschau or back up the mountain. From here, you can continue to the Ki-West gondola via a ski bus for journeys to Kirchberg.

From Pengelstein, you can also travel by gondola to Wurzhöhe and enjoy some amazing views. Other lifts take skiers to the relatively quiet Resterhöhe area, where a long red run to Breitmoos is well worth tackling. The second leg of the Kitzbuehel Horn gondola takes skiers to Trattalm, or you can get a cable car up to the top of Horn and ski downhill into Raintal.

Kitzbuehel has free practice lifts in the valley for families and those just starting their skiing training, which is worth bearing mind if you fall into one of these groups.